1. Field of the Invention
The general concept is directed towards aerodynamic toys that are designed to be thrown through the air by a user participating in any one of a variety of recreational throwing (i.e. “catch”) games.
2. Prior Art
Over the past fifty years, toys resembling discs or saucers have enjoyed great popularity as recreational items for use in throwing games and contests. In the typical embodiment, such toys have been made of a plastic material in a circular configuration with a rim portion located at its periphery. Such devices are commonly known and commercially available (i.e., for example, Frisbee brand discs, similar to that described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,122). Over the past two decades, a variety of improvements have been made to this well-known flying device, typically by providing non-rotating attachments of some sort to the disc or saucer itself. For example, some of these devices, such as that described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,666, have provided a streamer, windsock, or the like for aesthetically enhancing the visual effect of the flying disc toy while in flight. Other devices, such as that described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,223, have provided model aircraft (or other similar non-rotating items) pivotally coupled to the flying disc.
Such prior art devices have included deficiencies that have negatively affected the flight characteristics of the flying disc itself. Many such devices have experienced stalling problems due to the additional weight of the peripheral, non-rotating items affixed to the disc. Such stalling problems typically arise because the additional weight of the non-rotating items alters the center of gravity for the gyroscopic flying disc in such a way that detracts from the disc's ability to remain horizontally oriented during flight. This altered center of gravity causes the flying disc to become unstable (i.e., to wobble, rotate unevenly, turn downward toward the ground, etc.). As a result, the ability of the device to fly is severely impacted by the additional, off-centered weight of the non-rotating items.
Some prior art devices have also experienced yaw problems (i.e. the disc turning or flipping over during flight) due to a combination of the additional torque and drag invariably introduced by the presence of the non-rotating items and/or the methods used to affix the items to the disc. For example, many prior art attachment mechanisms, if placed in contact with the flying disc itself, produces frictional drag between the pin and the rotating disc, thereby reducing the spin speed of the disc. Reduced spin speed results in diminished flight characteristics. Similarly, many prior art attachment mechanisms produce a torque that alters the gyroscopic balance of the disc itself, thereby causing the disc to veer to one side or another and to even, in some instances, to flip over and crash into the ground.
Overall, as discussed above, many of the prior art devices while aesthetically viable, functioned poorly and exhibited flight problems that detracted from, rather than enhancing the experience of a user or an observer. According, a need existed for a flying toy having non-rotating portions affixed to a rotating disc that serve an aesthetic purpose and do not negatively affect the flight characteristics of the flying toy itself.